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Laudrup: I'm more than satisfied

(FIFA.com) Monday 21 April 2008

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One of the most elegant players to grace the beautiful game,
Michael Laudrup's trademark eye-of-the-needle reverse passes
have inspired many an imitator. Beloved by the fans of heated
Spanish rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Danish maestro's
spectacular spell in the Primera Liga was perhaps the sweetest of
his glittering career.

And the legendary former Denmark midfielder is back on Spanish
soil at the helm of the country's team of the moment, Getafe.
Having started his coaching career as assistant to Danish national
coach Morten Olsen, Laudrup subsequently struck out on his own with
Brondby, leading them to one league title and two cup wins in four
years. In an exclusive interview with
FIFA.com, he recalls some of the highlights of his
footballing career and gives his view on Denmark's current
team.

FIFA.com:Mr Laudrup, your Getafe team play like you once did, with
the emphasis on attack and short, crisp passing. Which coaches have
inspired you?
Michael Laudrup: In general terms, I've been
inspired by the coaches I've played under. It's no secret
that I've been heavily influenced by Johan Cryuff, my coach at
Barcelona, and former Denmark national coach Sepp Piontek. But
there have also been others such as Jorge Valdano, Morten Olsen or
even [Giovanni] Trapattoni who, though he favoured a different
style of play, also taught me things. I've been fortunate to
work under some great coaches.

Would you like to follow in the footsteps of your
predecessor Bernd Schuster and use Getafe as a stepping stone
towards a bigger club?That was one of the first things I was asked just after
arriving here. Quique [Sanchez Flores] had gone to Valencia,
Schuster went to Madrid, so where did I plan on going? One thing
that my footballing career taught me is that you have to focus on
the present. If you start thinking about what could happen tomorrow
you lose sight of what's important. You have to think about
what you have in the here and now, because if you get distracted
you might never achieve your goals. I don't dream about the
future, my dream is what's happening now with Getafe.

Aside from your own team, which current side impresses you
most?
Rather than one side in particular, I enjoy certain
matches. A Barcelona-Real Madrid game, for example, which is often
not the best in tactical terms but has a great atmosphere and level
of intensity. I really like Spanish football but I also like
watching Manchester United-Liverpool clashes, because the teams
have a lot of quality and a fierce rivalry.

And who do you root for in Barcelona-Madrid games?
I'm always asked that! It's been over ten
years [since I played in Spain] and people still ask me that. I
don't have to choose because I'm Danish. I've been
lucky enough and good enough to play for Spain's two biggest
clubs, two of Europe's finest, and that makes me very
proud.

First you joined Barcelona, and were part of Cryuff's
'Dream Team',possibly the greatestBarçateam in history. What do you remember about that period?
I remember the four league titles, and especially
those three that we won on the last day of the season. But the
nicest memory I have is of my team-mates. I'd always heard that
jealousy and cliques abounded at big clubs, but that squad of
players got on incredibly well, and you could see that out on the
pitch. Of course those who weren't in the team battled to get
into the side but there were no falling-outs or arguments.

It has been said that by signing for Real Madrid in 1994
you were taking revenge against Barcelona after a difficult final
year at the club.
That wasn't the case, it wasn't about
revenge. My cycle at Barcelona had come to an end, just as the
Dream Team era was drawing to a close. I went to Madrid because I
wanted to join a team where I had a chance of winning the title
again and also to stay in Spain. And now I can look back on
something quite unique. I was lucky enough to play in the
Barcelona-Madrid clash and record 5-0 wins with both sides.

Your first destination after leaving Danish football was
Serie A. What did you learn in the Italian game?I arrived in Italy not long after my 19th birthday and at a
time when each team could only play two foreign players, which made
things very tough. It was a huge leap from the Danish league to the
Italian league - the best in Europe at the time. My early years
with Lazio were difficult. Then I enjoyed a good year with Juve
when we won the Scudetto and the Intercontinental Cup, and there
were also bad times and a lot of injuries. There was a bit of
everything. After six years there I felt like I needed to try a
different country. I'd always liked Spain, so when I got the
opportunity to go there I took it.

Despite a lengthy national team career, you missed out on
Denmark's win at the 1992 UEFA European Championship. How did
it feel to experience that from afar?
I'd made the decision to retire from the
national team in 1990. All the guys from the '84 and '86
squads had retired and they were building a new team. I should have
provided a link for the new generation, but that was a really big
period for
Barça. Besides, we had virtually no chance of qualifying
for the EURO so I decided to take a temporary break from the
national team to focus on my club. But then Yugoslavia were ruled
out because of the war, Denmark replaced them, played the
competition and won. My brother was part of that team and as it was
my own decision I wasn't at all sad, just really happy for
them. Once I felt strong enough again I returned the national
team.

But then you missed out on a place at the 1994 FIFA World
Cup USA™at the hands of Spain.Yes, thanks to a goal in Seville. And they also knocked us
out at the semi-final stage of EURO '84, and at the World Cup
in Mexico '86 Butragueno knocked us out in the last 16.
I've always said half-seriously that the Spanish national team
cancelled out everything Spain gave me at club level. They've
always been very tough opponents for Denmark for the simple reason
that they are a very good footballing side.

Denmark had a wonderful team in the 1980s. What was it that
stopped you winning a major trophy?In '84 we were lacking a bit of accuracy because we lost
on penalties against Spain. Mexico was different though. We stormed
through the first phase after beating Scotland, Uruguay and
Germany. We'd been together at the training camp for over a
month and a half by the time we came up against Spain, and suddenly
we were being talked about as favourites to win the World Cup. We
were winning 1-0 and then in the 43rd minute we gifted Butragueno a
goal. They then scored two more in quick succession and we ended up
losing 5-1. We were lacking a bit of composure and experience.

Your last FIFA World Cup appearance came at France 1998.
How did it feel?
It was very strange, because I'd planned to
retire after that World Cup. When you know you're retiring you
are much more relaxed out on the field because you don't have
to worry about next year. I enjoyed every game. We really struggled
in the group phase but we managed to get through to face Nigeria,
who'd caused an upset by knocking out Spain. But we beat them
and then faced Brazil. I even imagined beating them. I didn't
feel under any pressure at all, if it was going to be the last game
of my career then what better opponents than Brazil.

Are you satisfied with what you achieved as a
player?I finished up by winning the double with Ajax. I think
you'd be hard pushed to plan a better finale, especially for a
Danish player. I'm more than satisfied, I don't think I
could have asked for more.

How do you rate the current Denmark side?They are going through a very difficult period. The fans had
got used to appearing at major competitions and they've now
failed to qualify for the last two big events. It's a blow but
I think that you have to be realistic. Denmark is a small country
which produces generations of both very good and not so good
players. We've got a talented squad but they need time and
patience while they develop. Anxiety could cause problems.

Your two sons are starting to catch the eye as footballers.
What does the future hold for them?The oldest, Mads Thuno, is playing for Copenhagen and Andreas
Retz is with the Madrid youth side. But all I want is for them to
enjoy what they're doing and develop at their own pace, without
any pressure.